Data of wing size and body size of three cicada species (Q6691288)

Sexual dimorphism in body size has been observed for many insect species, while whether dimorphism influences the flight performance for closely related insects or between the sexes of conspecifics however has seldom been examined. We collected the nymphs of three species of cicadas, Cryptotympana atrata, Meimuna mongolica, and Platypleura kaempferi in their eclosion or as adults that had just shed their exoskeletons and were drying their wings on tree trunks or branches at the Nanjing Forestry University campus. Because the sample size of C. atrata from the Nanjing Forestry campus was too small, we collected more C. atrata adults that were resting on trees using a metal rod tipped with sticky flour at another site that is 13.7 km away from the Nanjing Forestry University campus. The fresh body mass and body length were measured, and the two pairs of wings were surgically removed with a scalpel and then scanned using a photo scanner. We extracted the planar coordinates of wing boundaries and then calculated wing areas using the computer programs that were first developed to calculate leaf area in prior studies. Total wing area per individual is equal to the sum of wing areas of the pairs of forewings and hindwings. In this data set, we provided the data of wing size (including forewing and hindwing length, width and area) and those of body size (including body length and mass) of the three cicada species. The wing data of males and females were distinguished.